Collapsible crate



June 1, 1948. 5. J. JOHNSON 2,442,651

COLLAPSIBLE CRATE Filed May 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NVJENZ c7 QQMWJZMOIZ JJofmso'n 5 7 75 June I, 1948. J, JOHNSON COLLAPSIBLE CRATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1944 AIKEN U Patented June 1, 1948 COLLAPSI'BLE CRATE Simon J. Johnson, Chicago, 111., assignor to Bigelow-Garvey Lumber 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application May 25, 1944, Serial No. 537,217

8 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an improved and simplified form of a comparatively light weight and strong packing and hipping crate, case or container including a collapsible body and top and bottom members constructed of materials such as corrugated board, cardboard, fiber board and the like, and used in combination with wooden reinforcing cleats and wooden posts to provide a crate or the like which is easy to manufacture, conveniently collapsed for conserving space in storage or shipping, and which may be rapidly assembled without requiring any additional nailing between the side and end walls of the body of the crate and merely necessitating the insertion of the top and bottom walls in place and fastening the same at predetermined locations to the side and end walls of the body.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved, simplified and stron crat nst d of fiber board and wood and including a col1apsiole open body section having end walls which are permanently secured to side walls which are formed with a plurality of hinges to facilitate collapsing of the body section with the hinges disposed within the body section both in a collapsed and in the setup form of the crate body section to protect the hinges and increase the life and usefulness of the crate.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved collapsible type of crate wherein the collapsible body section is provided with inside hinges and wherein the end walls are permanently nailed to the side walls without interfering with the collapsing or setting up of the crate body section.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved light weight and strong collapsible crate or container wherein two opposite walls of the housing or body are provided with a plurality of hinge portions and with integral reinforcing means which also reinforce the hinge portions and provide rounded guide edges to facilitate placement of the top and bottom members in the body of the crate.

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide an improved combination fiber board and wood crate of the collapsible type wherein a body section has the wooden members of two opposite walls thereof permanently nailed or otherwise secured to wooden members of the two connecting Walls without interfering with the collapsing or the setting up of the body section thereby afiording an arrangement whereby the user of the crate does not have to nail the body walls together 2 when the crate is set up for use for the reception of the top and bottoms walls of the crate.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved collapsible type of crate embodying a body section open at the top and bottom and including two opposite side walls to which the end walls are permanently secured, with each of the side walls including side and intermediate hinge portions which are disposed on the inside of the crate body section to protect the Same both in the collapsed and in the setup form of the body section.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved collapsible type of combination fiber board and wood crate or the like consisting of top and bottom members and a collapsible body section wherein the end wall cleats are permanently secured to the side wall posts without interfering with the collapsing or setting up of. the body section, and wherein the end wall cleats and side wall posts are provided with pre-formed nail holes to facilitate nailing of the body section to the top and bottom members to provide a crate wherein the corners are all of the three-way construction and wherein the top and bottom members when in position press against and protect hinge portions forming part of the body section side walls,

A feature of the invention is to provide a collapsible shipping crate or the like including a collapsible body section wherein the end walls and side walls are rigidly fastened together by nailing the end wall cleats to hinged side wall posts without interfering with the operation of the side wall hinge portions to afford a crate construction eliminating the necessity of the nailing of the end walls and side walls by the user of the crate when the crate is set up for use.

Another important feature of the invention is the construction of a collapsible type of crate including a body section having two opposite walls formed witha plurality of hinge portions and with integral reinforcing strips which not only reinforce the hinge portions but also afiord rounded guides to facilitate the rapid and convenient insertion of the top and bottom members in the crate body section. I

Another object of the invention is the construction of a container composed of a plurality of elements, one of which is collapsible and includes four walls which are rigidly secured together with two of said walls being collapsible and including a plurality of hinge portions and integral reinforcing strips whereby the container may be conveniently collapsed into a flat condition for storage or shipment, and wherein the reinforcing strips of said two walls afford guides for the easy placement of the top and bottom elements of the container.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified strong type of shipping and packing container including top and bottom: elements and a body. element,.with said body element having the walls thereof rigidly secured to .one another with two of said walls being provided with hinge portions adapted to be positioned on the interior of-the' body element in its collapsed and also in its setu position. said two walls also .havingjntegral rein' forcing portions affordingguides-forthetop and bottom elements to ease the insertion thereof and permitting the use of preformed .nail receiving holes in the body element, thereby obviating splitting or destructive nailing of ipart 'fiand producing a structure which is simple, light and :of' sturdy construction and reinforced against tearingoffthehinge walls.

Other and further important obiectsiof-the :invention will'jbe apparent from the disclosures in the specification-and the. accompanying draw- ;ings.

"The invention; in preferred forms, is illustrated :in: the LdraWingsQand hereinafter more fully described.

2 In-theldrawings:

.Figure I1 is a:perspective view of the-crate showing the crate elementsrin their. relative separated positions for assembly; I

J Figure. 2. is .an enlargedrvertical sectional view .throughr.thezcollapsible body element taken on line II-T-II of Figure, 1

Figurer3 is an enlarged-vertical .sectional view through-thewbody. element-taken on :line III-III :of Figural} :Figure 4 is'atopplan: view of the body-element sidewalls partlycollapsed 'andindicating the two i .hinged portions in one side: of 'theside wall and the single hinge portionsin the opposite side of the side wall;

'--Figure '7 is'an-enlarged fragmentary perspective bottom Viewv of a corner of .the crate bodyelement showing the right angle positioningof the end-andside wallswith respect to oueanother "-in a setup position-of theubody element and indi- --cating indottedlines the position of the'side wall-with respect to the end wall when the. body element is collapsed;

Figure 8 is a perspective'viewpfa modified form-of crate body element wherein two opposed walls are: constructed of fiber board reinforced withwoodposts-withsaid side walls being rigidly "connected toone another" by open type wooden endwalls; themembers of which are permanently nailed to'theihinged corner posts of the side .walls .withoutjinterference with the proper operation of thehinge ortions forming part of erably fibrous material such as corrugated board,

cardboard, fiber board and the like, combined with woodenjcleats .aand. posts to provide an exceed- "llf lgly strong and; rigid construction to withstand *wear an'd'tearand prevent distortion.

In the selected *form of the crate illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 inclusive, the top or cover element comprises a top panel or cover I constructed of fiber board or the like and having rigidly secured to the bottom or inner surface thereof a pair of spacedparallel inner wooden cleats 2 which are positioned adjacent totwoopposite edges of the top panell' andextend so that the ends thereof terminate at the two other edges of the top panel. In large sized crates, if-requi-red the top-or cover may be provided with intermediate cleats on the top and bottom surfaces, for reinforcing purposes.

,Rigidly secured upon the top face of the top panel or cover land-to the insidecleats 2 -is a pair of spaced parallel upper or top cleats 3 which are preferably constructedof wood and are-disposed at rightangles with respect to the inside cleats 2. The outside cleats 3 are longer than the top panel I and, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings,:extend beyond both ends of the top panel to facilitate the proper mounting of the 'top or cover'element-ashereinafter more fully described.

The bottom element of the crate-or container. as clearly illustrated in'Figure 1,'comp1'ises nallwood open structure-consisting of a pair of spaced parallel bottom cleats 4 which are rigidly connected by two transverse inner wooden cleats or adapted to be used in combination with a-col- .lapsible type of body element which is clearly illustrated 'as' the middle unit in Figure 1 and which consists of two identically constructed side walls indicatedas -a-whole by the letter A and connected by means of two identically constructed end walls indicated by the letter B. Each of the end wall units .13 comprises anend panel or wall 7 constructed of fiber boardorother suitablematerial, reinforced by an outer top cleat 8, a bottom cleat 9 and an intermediate cleat In all constructedof wood. Both the top and bottom end wall cleats 8 and 9 are provided with preformed 'nail holes II. The end wall cleats 8, 9 and iii are arranged in spaced parallel relationship horizontally on the outer face of an end wall panel I and are rigidly secured thereto by means of glue and, or, staples I2 or any other suitable fastening means.

Connecting the two body elementend walls B are the two side walls A. Each of the side walls A comprises a side panel or wall I3 constructed of fiber board or the like, and having the top and bottom margins thereof bent inwardly against the inner face of the side panel to form an upper side wall reinforcing strip I4 and a lower side wall reinforcing strip I5 as clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. The side wall reinforcing strips I4 and I 5 provide upper and lower rounded guide edges I6. Each of the fiber board side panels or walls I3 has the outer face thereof near one end of the panel scored at I! and I8 transversely of the panel to form a pair of parallel inner hinge sections I9 and 20, thereby providing one side of each of the side panels or walls I3 with a hinged side flange 2I and an intermediate or connecting strip 22 as clearly illustrated in Figure 6. The

outer face of the opposite side of each of the side panels or walls I3 is provided with a transverse scoring 23 to form a third inner hinge section 24 which provides a second hinged side flange 25. It will thus be noted that each of the fiber board side walls is constructed of a main panel I3 which is formed with the upper and lower reinforcing strips I4 and I5 and with the scorings I1, I8 and 23 thereby dividing each of the side panels into two hinged side flanges 2| and 25, a connecting section 22 and the main portion of section I3 whereby each of the side wall panels may be collapsed along the hinge sections I9, 20 and 24, as illustrated in Figure 6.

Each of the fiber board side wall units is reinforced by means of an intermediate wooden post or strip 26 which is secured to the outer face of the side wall panel I3 between a pair of corner posts 2'! and 28, also constructed of wood or other suitable selected material. The intermediate post 25 is nailed or otherwise secured to the outer face of the side wall I3 and extends from the top to the bottom of said wall with the back of the intermediate post 26 seated tightly against the wall I3. This, however, is not true with respect to the two corner posts 21 and 28 Which are hingedly supported by having side faces thereof secured to the flanges El and 25 leaving the backs of said posts normally free until the top and bottom elements are nailed in place.

The novel connections between the end walls and side walls of the body section are clearly illustrated in Figures 1 and 5. In the assembly of the body section it will be noted that the hinged end flange ZI of a side wall I 3 projects between the outer side face of a corner post 21 and the side margin of the inner face of an end wall panel I,

after which the ends of the end wall cleats 8, 9

and ID are secured rigidly to the side wall flange 2| and to the outer side of the side wall corner post 21 by nails 29 or other suitable means. This construction permits the free operation or hinged movement of the side wall hinge sections I9 and 20 to permit the double hinge side section of a side wall l3 to be folded around a corner post 21 as illustrated in the collapsed view of the container body section shown in Figure 4. In a similar manner the opposite side wall hinged flange 25 projects between the opposite end wall panel I and the outer side of the corner post 28 and is secured rigidly in place by means of nails 29 which engage through the ends of the end wall cleats 8, 9, and I9 through the side wall a flange 25 and into a corner post 28.

The novel permanent connection between the body section rigid end walls and the collapsible side walls is more clearly illustrated in the bottom view shown in Figure 6 which clearly illustrates that the end walls are rigidly secured to the outer sides of the hingedly supported side wall comer posts without interfering with .the operation of the three hinge sections forming a part of each of the side walls of the crate body section. This novel arrangement of permanently securing the ends of the end wall cleats and also the end margins of the side wall panels I, by means of the nails 29, to the side wall corner posts 21 and 28 obviates the necessity of a person when setting up the crate to do any extra nailing of the end walls to the side walls in the improved type of crate, The pre-fastening of the end walls to the side wall corner posts and the side wall side flanges, positions the various hinge sections on the interior of the crate body section in its erected position and permits rapid collapsing of the crate body section into the compact'forin illustrated in Figure 4, wherein the hinge sections I9 and 20 of each of the side walls are clearly enclosed and protected and wherein the hinge sections 24 are disposed adjacent the inner sides of the end walls I and at the innermost corners of the side wall corner posts 28, which consequently serve to protect the hinge sections 24 from injury in the collapsed position of the crate body section.

By referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 it will be noted that the upper and lower edges of the side walls project beyond the top and bottom edges of the end walls so that the reinforced upper and lower edges of the side walls and the rounded edges I6 thereof afford guides to facilitate the easy insertion of the crate cover and bottom elements in the body element.

In the form of crate illustrated in Figure 1 it sometimes is customary to place the bottom unit on a floor and then secure the article to be shipped upon the cleats 5 and 6 to which the article to be shipped may be secured if necessary. With the article positioned on the bottom, the collapsible-type body element is opened up into the shape illustrated in the middle view of Figure 1, and the bottom of the body element is then engaged over the article and onto the bottom with the projectin ends of the bottom cleats 4 contacting the lower surfaces of the end wall bottom cleats 9. With the body element in place as described the cover is then placed upon the top of the body element and is guided easily into seated interfitting relationship with the body element by sliding over the rounded guide edges I6 of the side walls with the projecting ends of the top outer cleats 3 seating upon the top edges of the end wall top cleats 8, as clearly illustrated in the enlarged sectional fragmentary view shown in Figure 5.

In the assembling of crates and boxes, of the type herein described, it is necessary to secure the top and bottom members rigidly to the body element. To aid in this assembly the upper and lower ends of the side wall posts 25, Z'I and 2B are also provided with nail holes II. It will thus be noted that with the nail holes II provided in the end Wall cleats 8 and 9 and in the ends of the side wall posts, that a person assembling and closing the crate or container has only to insert nails 29 into the pre-formed openings I I and then drive the nails into position to engage the wooden cleats of the top and bottom members to provide a compact sturdy crate all the corners of which are of three-way rigid construction.

In the improved combination fiber board and wood crate or container herein illustrated and described, it will be noted that the hinge sections forming parts of the side walls of the body sec- .7 :tion are enclosedwithin the-body. sectioniand are amply:protectedrbothzin thesetup position of 'the bodyisection and in the collapsed position thereof. It will also be noted that the upper and lower. ended the hinge sections of the side walls arerreinforced' by means f.the' upper and lower reinforcing strips M and l which are also formed "with "hinge sections thereby providing doublehinge portions. 'The strips l4 and which form integral parts of the sidewalls also provide adequate round guide edges for the easy insertion 'of-the top and bottom'members-into 'the'ibocly section when thesame is opened up.

'Thezprovision of 'the pre-formed holes II in -theen'd and side walls permits an'amateur or an 'inexperienced assembler to properly position the =nails so that the top and bottom sectionsmay be nailed into position without danger of causingwsplitting of the wooden'members forming iparts of'the top and bottom members of the crate. A decided advantage in the crate is the novel arrangement whereby'the end walls are i'igidly.pre-nailed to the side wall corner posts andiside' wall side flanges so that when it is desired'toassemble the crate it is not necessary for the user to nail the end walls and sidewalls together as is the usual practice in crates and containers now in use.

ith the improved box or crate it will thus be :notedthat the only nailing which is required by acustomer or person using the mate is the in- --sertion-'of the nails in the pre-formed nailopen- -ings l' of the end and side walls-and drive the nails into place in order to hold the top and bot- "tom-em'bers rigidly in position and braced tightly "against the inner faces of the reinforcing strips M and' 15 of the side Wall members and against the upper and lowerends of the various double thickness hinge sections forming parts of the side walls. The reinforcing strips M and I5 which form integral parts of the side walls provide an additional advantage in that they not only rein- .'-force and brace the upper and lower margins of theside Walls but they also serve as guides and act as means forpreventing the side walls from -being torn upwardly or downwardly between the posts.

-=While thecollapsible type of crate illustrated in Figures 1 to '7 inclusive is shown as :being substantially square, it will of course be understood that in the production of crates of this type the sidewalls are usually longer than the end walls. If occasion demands, theend walls may be longer than the side walls. A convenient and rapid compact collapsing of the crate for shipment or storage is not interfered with by any of the di- 'mensiona-l changes of the end and side wall members.

:Referring to Figure 8 a modified form ofa 'crate body section is illustrated. In this modi- -fied form of a body section the two side wall units arevsiibstantially the same as those described and illustratedin Figure 1 and the' top and bottom members may also be the same as those shown in 'Figure 1. If a substantially open crate is desired both thetop and bottom members of the modified form of crate may be constructed similar to the bottom member shown :in Figure 1. In the modified form of crate body which is of the open type the-end wall units are of open construction and each consists of a top cleat 30, a bottom cleat 3| and two diagonally crossed intermediate cleats 32. The ends of the end wall cleats 30, 3| and 32 are nailed to' the side wall side flanges 2| and and into the outersides of the side walltcorner 'posts i'l and 28. This rigid-and permanent connection "of the ends ofthe end wall members to the hingedly supported corner posts of'the side walls does not interfere with the operation of' the side and intermediate hinge sections of "the side walls so that the modified form'of crate body section may be conveniently collapsed into compact form similar to that illustrated in'FiE- ure-4 for shipment or storage.

When the crate body section is collapsed as shown' in-Figure 4 the top and bottom members may be placed diagonally in the spaces formed above and below the respective collapsed half portions of the body section. As in'the form of crate-shown in Figure 1, the modified crate illustrated in Figure 8 .is also providedwith preformed nail holes in the upper and lower end wall cleats'30 and'3l and in the upper and lower :ends of the sidewall posts so that the'onlynailing that is required by a person using or setting up the crate is to insert nails in the holes I l and :drive the nails into the respective cleatsof the top and bottom members to complete the assembly'of a compact and rigid crate, all .of'the corners of which areof three-way rigid construction.

'While' the double scoring of each side wall I3 is associated with the side of the side wall connected between a corner post 21 and one side of an end wall of the crate, it will of course be understood that the double scoring maybe-provided, at the opposite side of a side wall I3 for coactionwith the corner post 28 sothatthe "bodysection oi the crate may be collapsed :by pushing the two corner posts 28 inwardlyto- Wardone'another instead of the postsZ'lasxillustrated in Figure 4. 7

If desired, the side walls 1 l3 may have double scoring at both sides thereof thereby dividing each of the side wall panels into a main panel section, two hinged end flanges and twoconnecting strips'between the end flanges and the main body portion of the panel. This arrangement will permit the body section to be collpased by moving either the posts 27 or the posts 328'in-ivardly toward the center.

While the side walls [3 are shown and de scribed as having asingle intermediate post'2fi, it is to be understood that additional reinforcing posts 26 may be provided when necessary. "This also holds true for the end walls whereadditional reinforcing strips or cleats it maybe used to reinforce the end walls to obviate distortion ofthe crates. Attention is directed to the use of nails for securing the top and bottom members in the body section of the crate, with: the 'use of the pro-formed. nail holes II. Screws or other suitable fastening means may be used-in place of nails if desired. In a similar manner 'theend wall panels may be secured to the end wall'cleatsby nails, screws, glue or other fasten- :ing meansinstead of the staples l2,

Itwill. of course be understood that various 'other details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of'this invention and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A crate structure comprising three units completely pre-formed for subsequent assembly comprising top and bottom closure units including cleats suitable for receiving nails, and a col- 1lapsiblebodyunitfor receiving the topland bot- 9 tom units, said body unit'comprising side walls and end walls, said side walls including fibrous panels having combination reinforcing and guide means formed thereon for the easy placement of the top and bottom units in the body unit, said side wall panels, scored to provide a plurality of side and intermediate hinge means disposed on the interior of the body unit and also forming 'side flanges, posts freely engaged against the exterior faces of the side wall panels and having the panel flanges contacting the side faces of said posts adjacent the end walls, said end walls permanently secured to the side wall panel flanges and to the side Wall posts in a manner permitting operation of the side wall hinge means, said end and side walls having pro-formed openings therein for the reception and predetermined placement of securing means to engage in the top and bottom unit cleats to complete the crate assembly.

2. A crate structure consisting of three preformed units comprising two end closure units and a collapsible body unit for receiving the same, said body unit comprising two end walls including reinforcing cleats, and two side walls each consisting of an exteriorly scored fibrous panel to form side and intermediate hinge means positioned on the interior of the body unit and also providing side flanges on the panel, corner posts forming parts of each side wall and separated from the end walls by the side wall panel flanges, said end wall cleats rigidly secured to the side wall panel flanges and to the corner posts and permitting operation of the hinge means for collapsing and setting up of the body unit.

3. In a crate of the class described including in addition to top and bottom units a collapsible body unit comprising a pair of end walls, and a pair of side walls, each of said side walls consisting of a fibrous material panel provided with side and intermediate scorings in the outer face thereof formin two side and one intermediate hinge means on the inner side of the panel and also forming two side flanges and an intermediate strip on each panel, each of said side walls also including corner posts having sides which seat against and are permanently secured to the panel flanges and to the sides of the end walls in a manner permitting operation of the hinge means and collapsing of the body unit, said body unit construction being such as to eliminate any further securing of the body unit side and end walls together upon assembly of the top and bottom units with the body unit and only requiring fastening of the body unit to the top and bottom units.

4. In a crate of the :class described including a collapsible body unit comprising a pair of rigid walls and a pair of hinge walls permanently secured thereto, each of said hinge walls comprising a flbrous material panel having two side and an intermediate parallel scoring in the outer face thereof forming two side and an intermediate hinge means on the inner face of the panel and also forming side flanges on the panel remote from the intermediate hinge means, reinforcing means secured to the outer face of each panel, corner posts for each panel positioned with surfaces of the corner posts having free contact with the outer face of the panel, said corner posts having other surfaces thereof contacting the panel flanges and permanently secured thereto and to the sides of the rigid walls and permitting oper- 10. ation of the hinge means in'the collapsing and setting up of the body unit.

5. In a crate, a collapsible body unit comprising a pair of side walls each comprising a fibrous material panel having the upper and lower margins thereof bent inwardly against the inner face ofthe panel to provide reinforcing strips andprovide rounded protective edges at the top and bottom of the panel, each of said panels provided with spaced side and intermediate scorings in the outer face thereof to form side and intermediate hinge means on the inner side of the panel and also form end flanges spaced from the intermediate hinge means, reinforcing means secured to the outer face of each panel, corner posts for each panel, each post having one side thereof rigidly secured to a panel flange and leaving the remaining sides of each post free, and end wall forming members having the sides thereof rigidly secured to the side wall corner posts and to the side wall panel flanges in a manner permitting operation of the side wall hinge means in the setting up and the collapsing of the crate body unit.

6. In a three unit crate assembly, a body unit comprising a pair of rigid walls and a pair of connecting walls, each of said connecting walls including corner posts and a panel having end flanges rigidly secured between the corner posts and sides of the rigid walls, each of said connecting wall panels formed with two side hinge portions and an intermediate hinge portion to facilitate collapsing of the connecting wall panels for positioning between the rigid walls when the body unit is collapsed.

7. In a three unit crate assembly including top and bottom members and a collapsible body unit, said body unit comprising a pair of rigid walls and a pair of connecting walls rigidly and permanently secured thereto to permit collapsing and obviating the need of any additional securing means when the body unit is set up for use, each of said connecting walls including corner posts and a panel having side flanges rigidly secured between the corner posts and sides of the rigid walls, each of said panels also having the top and bottom margins provided with reinforcing strips nd guide means projecting above and below the rigid walls for the easy insertion of the top and bottom members into interfitting closing engagement with the body unit, said connecting wall panels each being formed with a plurality of side hinge portions and an intermediate hinge portion on the inner side thereof to facilitate collapsing of the connecting walls for positioning between the rigid walls when the body unit is collapsed for shipment or storage.

8. A collapsible container comprising rigid top and bottom members and a collapsible body for receiving the same, said body member comprising inwardly collapsible integrally reinforced side walls each consisting of a pair of side flanges, a main wall section connected to one of said side flanges, and an intermediate strip connecting the main wall section with the second side flange, said side walls also including corner posts rigidly and permanently secured to the side margins of a pair of rigid end walls of the body member and permitting collapsing of the body member, the side flanges being secured between the corner posts and the respective end walls with their free edges extending outwardly.

SIMON J. JOHNSON.

(References on following page) 

